Method for playing a diaphragm petal

Abstract

This method includes the following steps, namely, - Supplying at least one petal (1) to be reproduced, wherein the petal (1) to be reproduced - At least one hole (2) defining a rotation axis (R1), around which the petal (1) to be reproduced is movable between an open position partially defining a passage opening and a closed position, and the at least one hole (2); - A first wear surface (5) defining a portion of the passage opening; - A second wear surface (6) adjacent to the first wear surface (5); - A wear apex (7) located between the first wear surface (5) and the second wear surface (6), and supplying; - Polishing the first wear surface (5) and the second wear surface (6) to obtain a first polished surface (8), a second polished surface (9), and a new apex (10), wherein the space between the new apex (10) and the rotation axis (R1) is less than the original reference value, and obtaining; - Defining a new hole (11) defining a new rotation axis (R2), wherein the space between the new apex (10) and the new rotation axis (R2) coincides with the original reference value, and defining; including.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for reproducing diaphragm petals.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, diaphragm holding devices are known that are provided with a frame that supports a plurality of movable elements called petals while rotating them.

[0003] Each petal is movable about an associated axis of rotation between an open position that defines a passage opening in the diaphragm and a closed position that completely closes the passage opening.

[0004] The petal is further movable to at least one intermediate position, where the petal is carried near the center of the diaphragm and enables holding an object for further machining.

[0005] Figures 1 and 2 show, by way of example, a diaphragm D provided with a plurality of concentric petals P in the open position (Figure 1) and the closed position (Figure 2).

[0006] The diaphragm petal is shown in more detail in Figure 3.

[0007] The petal P is provided with a hole F through which the petal itself is associated with the frame T of the diaphragm D. The hole F defines a rotation axis R1, and about the rotation axis R1, in use, the petal P is movable between an open position and a closed position.

[0008] The petal P also has a first surface S1 that partially defines a passage opening in the open position and a second surface S2 that is arranged in contact with the first surface S1 of an adjacent petal and slides on the first surface S1 between the open position and the closed position.

[0009] The apex V is defined between the surface S1 and the surface S2, and in the closed position, the apex V is arranged substantially at the center of the diaphragm D.

[0010] In fact, one of the advantages associated with the use of the diaphragm is that it is possible to completely close the passage opening.

[0011] However, as a result of long-term use, the frictional force can cause wear of the surfaces S1, S2 and the formation of chamfered vertices.

[0012] As a result, in the closed position, the worn petals make it impossible to completely close the passage opening, and at the same time, in the open position, cracks occur between one petal and the adjacent petal, crack communicating with the passage opening, thus there is a risk that the proper function of the diaphragm is impaired.

[0013] For this reason, the petals need to be replaced with new ones. However, as can be easily recognized, this leads to an excessive increase in production costs, especially considering the fact that even a further wear of just a few hundredths of a millimeter can potentially impair the proper function of the diaphragm, which affects the retail price of the finished product for the customer. Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0014] The main object of the present invention is to devise a method for regenerating a diaphragm petal that makes it possible to avoid an excessive replenishment job of the diaphragm petal.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to devise a method for regenerating a diaphragm petal that makes it possible to ensure the proper functioning of the associated diaphragm.

[0016] A further object of the present invention is to devise a method for regenerating a diaphragm petal that makes it possible to keep production costs low.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is to devise a method for reproducing a diaphragm petal that is simple, reasonable, easy to use, and efficient, and that can overcome the drawbacks of the aforementioned prior art within the scope of an inexpensive solution. Means for Solving the Invention

[0018] The aforementioned object is achieved by the method of the present invention for reproducing a diaphragm petal having the characteristics of claim 1.

[0019] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of the preferred but non-exclusive embodiments of the method for reproducing a diaphragm petal, which is described as an illustrative but non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Particularly with respect to these figures, the reference numeral 1 generally indicates a diaphragm petal.

[0022] The method according to the present invention includes first supplying at least one petal 1 to be reproduced.

[0023] The petal 1 to be reproduced includes a hole 2 associated with the frame T of the diaphragm D. The hole 2 defines a rotation axis R1, and around the rotation axis R1, during use, the petal 1 to be reproduced is movable between an open position that partially defines the passage opening of the diaphragm D and a closed position that partially closes the passage opening.

[0024] According to the embodiment shown in the figure, the rotation axis R1 is substantially perpendicular to the transverse plane of the petal 1 to be reproduced.

[0025] Specifically, the petal 1 to be reproduced includes a removable bushing 3 that defines the hole 2. The petal 1 to be reproduced also includes a housing sheet 4 that the bushing 3 fits into (Figure 4).

[0026] As a result of long-term use, the petal 1 to be reproduced has - at least a first wear surface 5 that, during use, partially defines at least a part of the passage opening, and - adjacent to the first wear surface 5, a second wear surface 6 that, during use, slides and is associated with the first surface of an adjacent petal, and - a wear apex 7 located between the first wear surface 5 and the second wear surface 6.

[0027] Next, the method includes polishing the first wear surface 5 and the second wear surface 6 to obtain a first polished surface 8, a second polished surface 9, and a new apex 10 located between these polished surfaces.

[0028] In the regenerated petal 1 polished in this way, the space between the new vertex 10 and the rotation axis R1 is shown in the figure by the symbol d2, and d2 is less than the original reference value shown in the figure by the symbol d1 (Figure 5).

[0029] Actually, first, by specially machining the original petal P, the space between the vertex V and the rotation axis R1 becomes equal to a predetermined reference value (d1, Figure 3).

[0030] The polishing step involves removing a portion of the material from which the regenerated petal 1 is made, and thus results in the suppression of the new vertex 10 of the regenerated petal 1 with respect to the original rotation axis R1. As a result, this operation results in a reduction of the space defined between the new vertex 10 and the original rotation axis R1.

[0031] In this connection, according to the embodiment shown in the figure, it should be specified that the polishing surfaces 8, 9 are transverse to the transverse plane of the regenerated petal 1, and preferably, the polishing surfaces 8, 9 are perpendicular to the transverse plane of the regenerated petal 1. Further, the polishing surfaces 8, 9 are transverse to each other, and the new vertex 10 is defined by the intersection of the polishing surfaces themselves.

[0032] Therefore, the new vertex 10 extends along a substantially straight direction parallel to the rotation axis R1. Next, the space is measured as the distance between the extending direction of the new vertex 10 and the rotation axis R1.

[0033] However, it cannot be excluded that the new vertex 10 extends along a curved or irregular direction according to the shape of the polishing surfaces 8, 9. In such a case, the space is measured as the distance between the farthest point of the new vertex 10 and the rotation axis R1.

[0034] Therefore, the method also includes the step of defining a new hole 11 that defines a new rotation axis R2, and the space between the new vertex 10 and the new rotation axis R2 coincides with the original reference value (d1, Figure 6).

[0035] The new rotation axis R2 is substantially parallel to the original rotation axis R1. As a result, the new vertex 10 is substantially parallel to the new rotation axis R2. More specifically, the original vertex V and the new vertex 10 are substantially perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the reproduced petal 1 and lie on a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane to which the rotation axes R1 and R2 belong.

[0036] More specifically, the defining stage comprises the following steps, namely, - removing the bushing 3 (Figure 7) from the reproduced petal 1, - supplying the blank bushing 12 (Figure 8), - drilling the blank bushing 12 to obtain a new bushing 13 provided with a new hole 11 (Figure 9).

[0037] The blank bushing 12 is of a type known to engineers in the art and, according to the embodiment shown in the figures, is pre-drilled. However, the use of a blank bushing 12 that is not pre-drilled cannot be excluded.

[0038] Here, the method will be described in more detail in successive related stages.

[0039] The method initially includes the stage of positioning the reproduced petal 1 relative to a predetermined position.

[0040] Specifically, the method according to the present invention is carried out with at least one automatic processing machine known to engineers in the art, and the reproduced petal 1 is placed at the location where the relevant sufficient sheet is located.

[0041] According to the embodiment shown in the figures, at the predetermined position, the reproduced petal 1 is positioned such that the space is substantially parallel to the substantial horizontal Cartesian axis X.

[0042] Specifically, according to a preferred embodiment, the predetermined position is determined according to the position of the housing sheet 4 of the bushing 3. For this purpose, the step of removing the bushing 3 is carried out before the positioning step.

[0043] The housing sheet 4 actually has a predetermined geometric shape and, precisely, due to the presence of the bushing 3, is not affected by wear and, at the same time, is not affected by the grinding operation.

[0044] More specifically, as will be explained in more depth later in the present disclosure, the predetermined position is utilized with the highest precision for carrying out the movement and operation of the associated machining tool.

[0045] The method includes, first, the step of holding the petal 1 to be reproduced in a predetermined position.

[0046] Specifically, the step of holding the petal 1 to be reproduced is carried out at a position located between the hole 2 and the wear apex 7.

[0047] According to the embodiment shown in the figure, the petal 1 to be reproduced comprises at least one pivot 14, which is defined at an intermediate position between the hole 2 and the wear apex 7 and, in use, is adapted to operate in conjunction with the actuating means for actuating the diaphragm D.

[0048] The pivot 14 extends substantially perpendicular to the transverse plane of the petal 1 to be reproduced.

[0049] The holding step is carried out at the location where the pivot 14 is located.

[0050] Conveniently, the holding step includes at least a first step of blocking the petal 1 to be reproduced from shifting along three Cartesian axes.

[0051] According to a preferred embodiment, the first step of blocking is carried out by fixing the pivot 14. By way of example, the pivot 14 fits inside the associated housing defined in the machine tool.

[0052] The holding stage also includes at least a second step of blocking the pivoting of the petal 1 being reproduced around the axis as it passes through the pivot 14.

[0053] Specifically, the second step of blocking is carried out by clamping the petal 1 being reproduced.

[0054] The holding stage ensures maintaining a predetermined position, and subsequent stages are carried out very precisely and accurately.

[0055] As a result of holding, the method includes a polishing stage.

[0056] The polishing stage includes at least one step of moving at least one milling tool along a predetermined path.

[0057] Specifically, the milling tool is rotatable by itself and is arranged to contact the first worn surface 5 and the second worn surface 6 in relative movement along the predetermined path.

[0058] In this regard, to ensure proper operation of the diaphragm D, it should be specified that the polishing stage is carried out such that the first polishing surface 8 and the second polishing surface 9 are substantially parallel to the first surface S1 and the second surface S2 of the original petal P, respectively.

[0059] The predetermined path is actually processed according to the first surface S1 and the second surface S2 of the original petal P.

[0060] Specifically, as described above, during the positioning stage, the petal 1 being reproduced is arranged along the Cartesian axis X, and the predetermined path is shifted along the Cartesian axis X by a polishing value relative to the original path.

[0061] In this regard, it is specified that the original petal P is first subjected to polishing of the first surface S1 and the second surface S2 in order to remove any mechanical deburring.

[0062] Specifically, the coordinates of the predetermined path are changed only with respect to the Cartesian axis X of the polishing value at each of those points with respect to the original path, so that the pattern of the path itself remains unchanged and the milling tool is carried closer to the worn surfaces 5, 6.

[0063] During the polishing step, therefore, the path of the milling tool remains substantially unchanged, but the relevant position is shifted along the Cartesian axis X and contacts the worn surfaces 5, 6.

[0064] In this regard, in the figure, it is specified that in order to better show the steps of the method, the amount of wear and the amount of material removed are too large with respect to the profile of the original petal P as a result of the polishing. However, for ease of recognition, the actual amounts for both the amount of wear and the amount of removal of the material during polishing are on the order of a few hundredths of a millimeter.

[0065] Advantageously, the polishing step may include a repetition of the step of moving the milling tool. In order to avoid excessive removal of material, in fact, the predetermined path can be changed by a small value each time, so that the polishing step can stop as soon as a new vertex 10 is defined. For this purpose, the polishing step also includes a verification step of verifying the amount of material removed.

[0066] According to a preferred embodiment, the verification step is carried out by visual inspection after each step of the movement. In this case, the operator visually checks whether the worn surfaces 5, 6 have actually been milled and a new vertex 10 has been formed between those worn surfaces.

[0067] However, it cannot be excluded that the verification step can be carried out by an automatic check.

[0068] Next, the method includes a step of defining.

[0069] As described above, the defining step includes the step of perforating the blank bushing 12.

[0070] The defining step, specifically the perforating step, is performed by a perforating tool according to a predetermined path.

[0071] According to a preferred embodiment, before the perforating step, the defining step includes the step of applying the blank bushing 12 to the petal 1 to be reproduced. In other words, the new hole 11 is made with the blank bushing 12 already applied to the petal 1 to be reproduced. This ensures that the perforation is extremely precise and accurate. However, it cannot be excluded that the new bushing 13 can be applied to the petal 1 to be reproduced only after the perforation.

[0072] Specifically, the new hole 11 is perforated according to the polishing value. Even more specifically, the perforating step is performed along the perforating axis, and the perforating axis is shifted along the Cartesian axis X by a value equal to the polishing value with respect to the original perforating axis.

[0073] Thus, the space between the new apex 10 and the new rotation axis R2 coincides with the original reference value (d1, Figure 6).

[0074] Advantageously, the polishing step and the defining step are performed on the same machine tool.

[0075] More specifically, the polishing step and the defining step are performed while the petal 1 to be reproduced is mounted and held in the relevant housing on the machine tool. Therefore, defining the new hole 11 is performed without disassembling the petal 1 to be reproduced from the relevant housing.

[0076] In other words, the positioning step and the holding step are performed once, and the subsequent polishing step and the defining step are performed continuously without the need to set and / or machine the petal 1 to be reproduced on another machine.

[0077] In addition to ensuring a remarkable execution speed, this unique feature makes it possible to avoid punching errors due to incorrect assembly of the petals 1 reproduced by an additional machine.

[0078] In fact, if the defining step is performed on a different machine from the one used for the polishing step, there will be a risk that the reproduced petals 1 will not be accurately placed in their predetermined positions and will be punched in the wrong places.

[0079] In fact, note that the polishing step involves the removal of a fraction of a millimeter, and at the same time, the position of the new holes 11 differs from the position of the original holes 2 by only a fraction of a millimeter. Therefore, it is clear that it is necessary to perform the steps of the method of the present invention very precisely and accurately.

[0080] However, an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the polishing step and the defining step are performed on separate machines cannot be excluded.

[0081] In fact, it has been confirmed that the described invention achieves the intended purpose. Specifically, it is desired to emphasize the fact that the method for reproducing diaphragm petals according to the present invention makes it possible to avoid overloading the replenishment job of the diaphragm petals.

[0082] Furthermore, the method of the present invention for reproducing diaphragm petals ensures the proper functioning of the associated diaphragm.

[0083] Finally, the method of the present invention for reproducing diaphragm petals keeps production costs low.

Claims

1. A method for reproducing diaphragm petals, comprising at least the following steps, namely: - Supplying at least one petal (1) to be reproduced, said petal (1) to be reproduced being - Associated with a frame (T) of a diaphragm (D) and having at least one hole (2) defining a rotation axis (R1), around which rotation axis (R1), in use, said petal (1) to be reproduced is movable between an open position partially defining an aperture of the diaphragm and a closed position partially closing said aperture, at least one hole (2); - At least a first wear surface (5) defining at least a part of said aperture in use; - Proximate to said first wear surface (5), at least a second wear surface (6) which, in use, slides and is associated with a first surface of an adjacent petal; - At least one wear apex (7) located between said first wear surface (5) and said second wear surface (6); and supplying; - Polishing said first wear surface (5) and said second wear surface (6) to obtain a first polished surface (8), a second polished surface (9), and a new apex (10) located between said first polished surface (8) and said second polished surface (9), the space between said new apex (10) and said rotation axis (R1) being less than an original reference value; obtaining; - Defining a new hole (11) defining a new rotation axis (R2), the space between said new apex (10) and said new rotation axis (R2) being equal to said original reference value; defining; A method characterized by the fact of including.

2. Said petal (1) to be reproduced comprises a bushing (3) defining said hole (2), and said defining step comprises the following steps, namely: - Removing said bushing (3) from said petal (1) to be reproduced; - Supplying a blank bushing (12); - Piercing said blank bushing (12) to obtain a new bushing (13) defining said new hole (11). The method according to claim 1, characterized by the fact of including.

3. The step of defining includes the step of applying the blank bushing (12) to the petal (1) to be reproduced, and the step of piercing is characterized by the fact that it is carried out after the step of applying, according to the method according to any one of claims 1 to 2.

4. Before the step of grinding, the method includes the step of positioning the petal (1) to be reproduced with respect to a predetermined position, and at the predetermined position, the space is characterized by the fact that it is positioned substantially parallel to the substantial horizontal Cartesian axis (X), according to the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The method is characterized by the fact that it includes the step of holding the petal (1) to be reproduced at the predetermined position, according to the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The petal (1) to be reproduced comprises at least one pivot (14), the pivot (14) being defined at an intermediate position between the hole (2) and the new apex (10), and being adapted to operate in conjunction with operating means for actuating the diaphragm (D), and the holding step is carried out at the location where the pivot (14) is located, according to the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The holding step is - at least a first step of blocking the petal (1) to be reproduced from shifting along the three Cartesian axes, - at least a second step of blocking the petal (1) to be reproduced from rotating around the axis passing through the pivot (14), and is characterized by the fact that it includes these, according to the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The step of grinding is carried out by moving at least one milling tool along a predetermined path, and the predetermined path is characterized by the fact that it is shifted along the Cartesian axis (X) by a grinding value from the original path, according to the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The step of defining is carried out along a piercing axis, and the piercing axis is characterized by the fact that it is shifted along the Cartesian axis (X) by the grinding value with respect to the original piercing axis, according to the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by the fact that the grinding step and the defining step are carried out on the same machine.

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